Brian Sicknick, the U.S. Capitol police officer who died on Jan. 7 after injuries sustained after a clash at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, will lie in honor next week in the building’s Rotunda, congressional leaders said Friday.
“The U.S. Congress is united in grief, gratitude and solemn appreciation for the service and sacrifice of Officer Brian Sicknick,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement announcing the move.
“The heroism of Officer Sicknick and the Capitol Police force … helped save lives, defend the temple of our democracy and ensure that the Congress was not diverted from our duty to the Constitution. His sacrifice reminds us every day of our obligation to our country and to the people we serve.”
“On behalf of the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is our great privilege to pay tribute to Officer Sicknick with this lying-in-honor ceremony,” the Democrats said in their statement. “May this ceremony and the knowledge that so many mourn with and pray for them be a comfort to Officer Sicknick’s family during this sad time.”
A ceremonial arrival will take place on Feb. 2 at 9:30 p.m. on the East Front of the U.S. Capitol. A viewing period will start at 10:00 p.m. for members of the U.S. Capitol Police and continue overnight. Members of Congress are invited to attend the viewing period from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Feb. 3.
A ceremonial departure is scheduled at 12 p.m. on Feb. 3 before Sicknick’s burial at Arlington National Cemetery, according to the announcement.
Sicknick, 42, first joined the U.S. Capitol Police Department in July 2008 as part of its First Responder’s Unit. He was injured on Jan. 6 while “physically engaging with protesters” after which he “returned to this division office and collapsed,” the Capitol police said in a previous statement. “He was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries” late on Jan. 7.
Sicknick’s death is being investigated as a homicide. Shortly after his death, his family called on the public to not politicize the incident. “Please honor Brian’s life and service, and respect our privacy while we move forward in doing the same,” his father said in a statement on Jan. 9.
Howard Liebengood, a 15-year veteran of the Capitol police, also died while “off-duty” on Jan. 10 by suicide.
Then-President Donald Trump on Jan. 10 ordered U.S. flags across the country and abroad to be flown at half-staff until Jan. 13 in honor of the “service and sacrifice” of law enforcement, Capitol police, and Capitol Police Officers Sicknick and Liebengood.
From The Epoch Times
